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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25989682">try harder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yadoiangel/pseuds/yadoiangel'>yadoiangel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a study in patience and exasperation [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute, Prompt Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:33:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25989682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yadoiangel/pseuds/yadoiangel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo spies the new addition to the morning crowd at the gym, and resolves to get his number. It... does not go according to plan. Or at least he intially thinks.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a study in patience and exasperation [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>158</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>try harder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekoyuki/gifts">nekoyuki</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I like clowning Kuroo. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning workout was harder than Daichi thought it’d be. He usually went to the gym in the evenings, but with his recent shift change the only time he would be able to go would be in the morning after his shift ended, so here he was, tired and sleep deprived after his shift but still powering through.</p><p>Finally he was finishing up, and he was looking forward to passing out in bed when a voice to right suddenly spoke up.</p><p>“Do I know you? ‘Cause you look a lot like my next boyfriend,” the voice said brazenly.</p><p>Daichi looked up from where he was sitting; taking in lean, long legs connected to a narrow waist to a generously proportioned torso, to a grinning face topped with what Daichi could only call a bed head.</p><p>“Do you believe in love at first sight or should I pass by again?” the stranger asked when Daichi just stared at an admittedly good body. Not that he’d tell him that.</p><p>“Excuse me?” he asked, blinking at what the man said.</p><p>“Kuroo Tetsurou,” the stranger said, reaching out a hand to shake. Daichi only eyed the hand, then looked up again at the stranger with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“I’d usually introduce myself, but considering what you just told me I don’t think that’d be wise,” he said with a politely smile.</p><p>“Oh ho ho a cautious one? How old are you? I thought only old men were supposed to be wise?” Kuroo was unruffled, still with that cocky grin on his face.</p><p>“Do you usually go around gyms telling random people bad pickup lines?” Daichi asked as he stood up, now noticing the height difference when he still had to look up at the stranger.</p><p>“How you think so little of me!” Kuroo said, clutching at his chest in mock outrage, “I’ll have you know you’re the only person I tried this on!” he added.</p><p>“So what? I should take it as a compliment?” Daichi asked again, turning back to walk toward the showers.</p><p>“Well when I do it, it <em>is,</em>” Kuroo huffed, following him.</p><p>“Try harder,” Daichi just threw over his shoulder with a laugh.</p><p>“Oh… you shouldn’t have said that,” Kuroo said, a scheming smile forming on his face. Daichi stopped to look back at him at that, and he felt shivers go up his spine as he saw the taller grin.</p><p>“Why?” he asked, suppressing a defiant smile of his own. No need to goad the man more.</p><p>“I like a challenge,” Kuroo declared, his voice going low and something glinting in his eyes that Daichi delighted to see—a promise.</p><p>“I’ll see you around, Kuroo-san,” Daichi said, turning back around to continue his trek to the showers, half hoping the other would still follow him.</p><p>“Hopefully,” Kuroo called back, going back to the gym proper.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“You know, I’m not a photographer, but I can totally picture me and you together,” Kuroo said the next day, casually walking up to where Daichi was toweling his sweat off.</p><p>“That was equally as bad as yesterday,” Daichi said without looking at him.</p><p>“Really? Why are your ears red then?” Kuroo asked, that same teasing grin showing on his face again, making Daichi blush harder.</p><p>“Uhh, I just got done with my work out?” Daichi pointed out.</p><p>“Oh, are you tired?” for once Daichi could see Kuroo was sincere, and it made him pause. Maybe there was more to the man than he initially thought.</p><p>“Not really,” Daichi said with a shrug.</p><p>“Are you sure? ‘Cause you’ve been running through my mind since yesterday,” Kuroo said, staring at Daichi expectantly. Daichi suppressed a snort unsuccessfully, so he tried covering it up with a cough but he could see Kuroo could see right through it.</p><p>“Oh? Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?” Kuroo asked excitedly, leaning closer to him.</p><p>“Oh man, that was <em>terrible,</em>” Daichi said with a groan, leaning away.</p><p>“I thought it was good!” Kuroo protested, “It made you laugh!” he added with a pout.</p><p>“No it didn’t,” Daichi denied.</p><p>“Yes it did!” Kuroo pressed.</p><p>“Nope,” Daichi said blithely, going to where the bench presses were.</p><p>“It did, and you can’t deny it,” Kuroo said, “Want me to spot you?” he offered once he saw what Daichi wanted to do. Daichi stared at him for a minute, then to bench, then let out a breath.</p><p>“Sure, why not?” he said with a shrug, positioning himself. Kuroo did the same, eyeing Daichi’s arms appreciatively.</p><p>“You know, I just thought of something,” Kuroo said as Daichi started his reps.</p><p>“What?” Daichi asked distractedly.</p><p>“You work out, I work out… I think our relationship could work out too,” Kuroo said with a cheshire cat grin, hands going to Daichi’s upper arms in support as the other laughed.</p><p>“Do you intentionally want to injure me or something?” Daichi asked as he paused for a moment to get his laugh under control.</p><p>“Oh no no, not that,” Kuroo shook his head, still smiling, “I just wanted an excuse to touch you,” he said, staring at Daichi, which made Daichi all too aware of his hands; they weren’t lingering, and they weren’t weird, like Daichi thought a stranger’s hand would feel on him, no; they were light on his arms, tentative—the complete opposite of how Kuroo’s approached him so far. It was nice, Daichi thought, to know that the man was still aware of some social boundaries. Daichi puffed out a breath to rid himself of the thoughts, concentrating on his workout.</p><p>“So, aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?” Kuroo asked conversationally, hoping the distraction of the reps would prompt Daichi to answer absent-mindedly.</p><p>“You haven’t even gotten my name, and you’re already moving on to my profession?” Daichi teased, making Kuroo pout again.</p><p>“Well, it was worth a try,” Kuroo said as Daichi finished up.</p><p>“Try harder,” Daichi told him with a smirk, once again leaving him behind as he went on to the showers.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“So what’s the problem?” Suga asked him after a bite of his meat bun. Daichi went to him on his break with the offer of food just to talk about a little thing, as he called it.</p><p>“What do you mean, what’s the problem? Do you not see the problem?” Daichi asked him, exasperated.</p><p>“No??? A cute guy walks up to you at the gym, hit on you, and he seems determined enough, I’m guessing because you haven’t outright told him no,” Suga summed up his situation, “So I don’t see a problem here,” he pointed out.</p><p>“I should’ve talked to Asahi,” Daichi mumbled to himself, rubbing at his temples.</p><p>“But you didn’t,” Suga said with a roll of his eyes, “Which means you just wanted to whine, and you just wanted me to tell you to go through with it which we we both know that you’re gonna do sooner or later,” he added, knowing his friend enough to see through his fronting. So, maybe Daichi went to Suga for a reason, after all.</p><p>“Yeah, okay, <em>fine.</em> But <em>how</em> do I go about it?” Daichi asked, making Suga laugh out loud.</p><p>“There’s the Daichi I know,” he said approvingly, “And how about start with your name first huh? That’d sure to throw your little crush for a loop,” he nodded to himself.</p><p>“He is not my crush,” Daichi immediately said.</p><p>“Sure,” Suga agreed, finishing up his meat bun.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“I seem to have lost my phone number. Mind if I ask for yours?” Kuroo greeted him the next morning, making Daichi scoff.</p><p>“Your lines just keep getting worse,” Daichi told him, continuing with his run.</p><p>“I think I need to call the cops,” Kuroo replied.</p><p>“…Why?” Daichi eyed him suspiciously.</p><p>“‘Cause it’s gotta be illegal for you to be looking that good while running,” Kuroo finished, smiling at Daichi expectantly.</p><p>“I don’t think you need to do that,” Daichi told him evenly, making Kuroo frown.</p><p>“What? Why?” he asked.</p><p>“Because,” Daichi started as he got off the treadmill, “I’m a cop, and I assure you it’s not illegal,” he said with a smirk, bending down to reach for his water bottle.</p><p>“Okay, it’s official, I really need your number now,” Kuroo said instantly, an excited glint in his eyes.</p><p>“Why?” Daichi asked.</p><p>“‘Cause it’d be really hard to plan our wedding without it!” Kuroo told him seriously, as if it was an actual problem. The way he said it made Daichi throw his head back and laugh outright, further entrancing the taller.</p><p>“Well?” Kuroo asked hopefully when Daichi’s laughter died down.</p><p>“Try harder,” Daichi said again, but this time with an encouraging smile.</p><p>“Oh man, I thought I had it that time,” Kuroo said out loud, leaning on the treadmill’s guard.</p><p>“Almost,” Daichi nodded at him, then put out a hand, “I’m Sawamura Daichi,” he introduced himself.</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you, Sawamura-san,” Kuroo said with a wide beam, shaking his hand.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Scream at me about this fic on twitter pls I'm <a href="https://twitter.com/yadoiAnghel">@yadoiAnghel</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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